This woman is taking the piss

A woman whose complaint against using the word “piss” on a Tui billboard in Napier has been turned down by the Advertising Standards Authority.

However, she is defying the authority’s warnings not to go public.

Barbara McKelvie, of Eskdale, one of two people who complained about the beer billboard which was last night still in place across the road from Pandora Pond, was asked not to make her complaint public before February 2.

But, with a dig at the mail system, she wrote to Hawke’s Bay Today , saying: “I am aware that this letter, in the hands of NZ Post, may or may not reach you prior to 2 February!”

So she’s complaining that the ASA didn’t agree with her complaint, so she went public with her complaint while at the same time complaining about NZ Post.

“She was “no prude” and liked a laugh”. Yeah right.

thor42

What a silly bint. I’ll bet she’s a Christian – the vast majority of whining, purse-lipped, moralising types are Christians.

Tui could use this in an ad –

“No-one complains about our billboards.”

“Yeah, right”.

LesleyNZ

You are a bit of a bigot. Good on her! She is not scared of the likes of you and is prepared to stand up and take the ridicule.

4077th

Fat lot of good it did her as well Lesley. I agree she at least had her say but what a complete waste of her time and the tribunals (probably taxpayer funded). If only people like her put the same effort into protesting about the rape and murder of children in this country it would be a far better place. I have no time for god bothering ex teachers with too much time on their hands.

http://voakl.net/ Ben Ross

Let us know if DB phone you sometime today asking if they can use that line ;)

there is nothing wrong with being a Christian. Not saying that i am one but its just a bit off the way that atheists these days are so bent on pushing their way of thinking…..

unsol

Yes, you are probably right…and no doubt she also has plenty to say about same sex relationships & how they will bring about the epocalypse…gotta love the super good (as opposed to genuine) Christians :)

And since we are making assumptions, she either clearly has far too much time on her hands or she is your TPT turned new money & born again = hypocrite (swearing & tattoos seems to be almost synonymous with her generation of TPT).

Either way, to take offence at a word that is part of everyday conversation in all walks of life is one thing, but to make a big deal about it being on a billboard is another & shows she lacks character (bet she never applies the same fervency to holding hypocrites & liars to account let alone things like child child abuse) & basic common sense (futile – she’s pushing shit uphill).

Hazards001

“Tui could use this in an ad –
“No-one complains about our billboards.”
“Yeah, right”.

hehe…I’ve taken some artistic licence :-)

StacyMcNaught

The same billboard is on a pub wall in Winton, a town full of old people…no complaints as yet, looks like shes on her own with this one

Bunswalla

They can’t read it – failing eyesight.

Travis Poulson

which pub, top middle or bottom?

James M

“Barbara McKelvie, a credible member of the community”?

“Yeah, right”.

LesleyNZ

Why is it when someone believes in a higher standard they are called “small-minded”? Thank goodness there are still some around who are prepared to be made fun of and scoffed at when they stand up for what they believe in. I don’t this particular Tui billboard either. Not nice really when you think about it.

http://www.facebook.com/p.righton Patrick Righton

pissing in a wet suit (divers central heating) is as common as pissing in the shower. really would you let 4 little letters have that much power over you? urinating is not a dirty sinful thing, talking about it is not either? move out of the Victorian age Lesley, you think that there should be a more genteel way of putting the point across? i suppose you are the type who would scold little boys for laughing at farts …

LesleyNZ

You are just common.

Bunswalla

Haha! I fair pissed myself at that. Are you Hyacinth Bucket by any chance?

LesleyNZ

Mrs Bucket (Bouquet) actually – not Ms.

Bunswalla

Lesley both you and she are hypocrites – what is this “higher standard” you’re talking about? She was asked not to make her complaint public, but the ex-teacher came out in her and when she didn’t get her own way, she decided to flout the rules and go public anyway.

I can see why some of the current mob of teachers are refusing to obey the legitimate requests of their employer re National Standards, if this is the example of higher standards from an ex-teacher.

LesleyNZ

Hypocrite?

4077th

BOLLOCKS!

LesleyNZ

No don’t think so.

dotcom

Yes, it is about as funny as laughing at farts. And about as clever. It’s the public admission of collective immaturity that disappoints me. The billboard is a reflection of the nation: rank, puerile, unnecessary, and embarrassing. Ah well, we are in New Zealand, after all.

Bunswalla

Get your hand off it dotcom. So you’re offended. So fucking what? Nothing happens, and nobody cares. Please accept my blessing to be as offended as fuck.

LesleyNZ

Using the F word like this does tend to tell a lot about yourself and your command of the English language. Do you not know any other words to express yourself that are not swear words or crude words or coarse words? How about trying to say the same without using the F word etc?

Bunswalla

Well I’m nothing if not accommodating, Lesley, so I’ll give it a go. Afterwards you can mark me to see if I met all the objectives in your helpful suggestion.

“dotcom, your choice of words leads me to the inescapable conclusion you are fond of masturbating. I recommend you desist, at least while posting to this site.

It appears you have chosen to take offence at another’s post, and what’s more you are criticising the proprietor of this web-log for permitting such behaviour, and and asking an apparently rhetorical question, the point of which is not clear.

I must stress to you that, while choosing to take offence is of course your inalienable right, and one that for the record I will defend to the death to protect on your behalf, there is little if any point in your doing so. To be clear, no person or corporation – with the possible exception of Lesley, your erstwhile protector and fellow-traveller to the popular destination of Being Offended – cares in the slightest that you have chosen to take offence.

It may also be useful to recognise that even though you have chosen to take offence, there is no change to the fabric of society, its mores and regulations, and indeed the space-time continuum trundles merrily on its way, blissfully ignorant of your outrage and indignation.

To finish, please know that I for one am extremely happy for you to continue to choose to take offence, or indeed to choose any other emotional response to any stimulus of whatever nature, without the need for logic or common sense to intrude, as long as you so wish. I feel this last comment is perhaps superfluous, since I’m quite sure you’ll continue to behave as you always do with or without my blessing, but Lesley asked me to reword my post and in the interest of completeness I must include this last message.”

I do hope this meets with your approval, O Post Sheriff, although I prefer the original version myself.

DJ

Haha, I see what you did ……

you’re taking the piss.

unsol

Awesome…..although mentioning the word masturbation is no doubt as offensive as the billboard & your original comment :)

dotcom

You mentioned the same word, unsol. And like everything so far in this highly amusing-if-stupid, thread, I’m not offended. Nor do I have my dick in my hand. Unlike most of you, I use all 10 digits to type.

unsol

I’m female dotty, so you can assume that I learned to touch type before you could handwrite your first sentence…assuming you can write of course!

I think Buns was referring to Lesley taking offense….

LesleyNZ

I never get offended.

Bunswalla

Yeah right

unsol

If you find swear words so offensive then why read this blog? WO is not stranger to colourful language nor are most of his commentators.

LesleyNZ

Someone has to up the standard!

unsol

To what – the Bible happily uses the word “piss”….

Bunswalla

Touche!

dotcom

Good morning to you too, Bunswalla. You have a nice day as well. Did I say I was offended? I thought you said the people of Winton can’t read.

Bunswalla

You whined about the rights of people to feel offended (which are not under attack at all, a point I made very clear) were undervalued in some way. What bullshit – what value do you want to have placed on whiners like the hypocritical ex-teacher, Lesley and yourself?

BTW it’s clear that in fact you can’t (or won’t) read. I didn’t say the people of Winton couldn’t read at all, I said they couldn’t read the billboard because their eyesight was failing. You know, old people have macular degeneration which leads to difficulty reading at a distance. It was a reference to the fact that Winton has a lot of old peop… oh never mind.

dotcom

You keep accusing me of whining about peoples’ rights. But you have this bad habit of putting your words in other peoples’ mouths. Could you please keep your words as well as every other dirty thing about you, out of my mouth.

dotcom

Oh, and Bunswalla, these problems that in your ageism you assume old people must have – I hope they are problems you never experience.

LesleyNZ

You are not very tolerant Bunswalla – when others don’t agree with you – and then you revert to a bit of nasty talk.

Tui beer is crass. Tui beer is puerile. Tui beer is appreciated by immature New Zealanders. So Tui aim their advertising at those phuckwits who have no taste, because if they did have taste they wouldn’t buy that beer. The complainant obviously has taste and should learn that in a democracy we must tolerate dickheads.

In Vino Veritas

Since when can “believing in a higher standard” be applied to this bill board? What can possibly have set this woman off? The act of urinating cannot now be discussed in the open? I’m sick and tired of people in NZ being “offended” by every little thing that crosses their path. As Stephen Fry said of being offended: “its simply a whine, no more than a whine”. This woman isnt being made fun of or scoffed at, she’s being held up for what she is, a whiner. And NZ’ers in general don’t do whining.

LesleyNZ

I never get offended. This kind of Billboard is to be expected – these days, though I will say that I don’t particularly like it. What is so bad about that? Not all of us like it. As for Stephen Fry – I recall he had a bit of a whine about Telecom’s broadband speed……..

In Vino Veritas

Thanks Lesley. You are entirely entitled to not like it. But the woman above has decided that since she doesn’t like it, it should be done away with. Slightly stupid don’t you think?
And on Stephen Fry, most of us have a whine from time to time, but I’d like to think it was the exception to the rule.

unsol

I assume you have never been surfing or worn a wetsuit….

LesleyNZ

Surfing is not for me.

http://www.facebook.com/p.righton Patrick Righton

the word “piss” is even in the bible – cant be that bad then right?
Isiah 36:12 for those who were curious – talked about people being so hungry while under siege that they would eat there own shit and drink piss.

dotcom

“their own” – not “there own”

Bunswalla

Yes, shitstirer. Have a nice day, dotcom. Go find someone else to show off your pointless pedantry to

dotcom

Thanks, I will indeed have a good day. You too.

http://www.facebook.com/p.righton Patrick Righton

oops yes – my bad

http://voakl.net/ Ben Ross

Free publicity alright – and Tui gets even more with this story now appear on NZ’s Number One Blog with over a million views :O

Saw the billboard last night outside the Papatoetoe DB Plant on the way home and thought “Bit Off” – that is your mate pissing in the wet suit – not the ad

Tui – Promises not to take the piss – Yeah Right

Tom

Wow she is as sour-faced as it gets! Is she related to Hulun?

surfisup

I try to raise my kids not avoid such words and it doesn’t help when it is shown on billboards like this. It will legitimise the use of the word in everyday language for some children.

jaundiced

Yeh Right

blokeintakapuna

wait till they get to school – then they’ll really learn how to swear and cuss…

LesleyNZ

True and is this good or bad? And the reason why? No standards anymore.

unsol

They dont all have to swear & most parents we know all swear but their kids dont. Our daughter is aware of swearing & has heard us utter the odd word, but we have made it very clear that they are grown up words & she is not to repeat them. And it has worked…so far, we have explained that grown ups do lots of things children can’t & don’t & that we know when to use them & when not to (e.g. around grandparents, at Church etc). There’s nothing wrong with swearing – they are colourful words that are just brilliant in some situations – whether to deliberately shock or whatever. But like anything there is a right time & a place & the billboard was the right time. Swearing at people (you’re a f-wit etc) – never the right time. I like them in conversation rather than as a way to attack people.

LesleyNZ

But why? If you think there is nothing wrong with you swearing then your daughter should be able to swear and swear around the grandparents and at Church. Otherwise you have double standards.

unsol

I don’t have an issue with sex & drinking either….as an adult

Hence why is yet another ‘grown-up privilege’.

Bunswalla

unsol you’re on fire. Very uneven contest of wills going on here…

Bunswalla

Fucking nailed it!

Lion_ess

Which century had the “standards” you refer to? Or, is it that you have led a very sheltered life and not read much?

surfisup

Well, they are in school. And, they do not swear. They told off their uncle for swearing too much though ha ha.

4077th

I hope you teach better spelling and grammar than your own

surfisup

ha ha, just reread what i wrote .

4077th

Well done..at least you corrected it. You can kind of see why it attracted my mild but semi cutting response. I promise to not extract the Michael from you again.

unsol

Sorry surfie, I’m with 4077….far better to teach them good grammar & how to spell or use a spellcheck than worry about whether they utter mild expletives. Nothing wrong with being a potty mouth – it is all about context & the billboard is spot on. To say wee or pee would just sound juvenile.

BJ

When my sons and their mates talk like this, I accept it is the mentality of their group relationship and if I happen to be amongst them and don’t like it, too bad – it’s their ‘community’. But, when I see it foisted upon the whole of society in gigantic written billboard form I see exactly where this woman’s coming from.

This particular Tui ad is actually a poorly written statement – using ‘won’t’ negates will and will not which leaves us with “Mate, I piss in your wetsuit” and thats just dumb!

Bunswalla

Pardon? You suggest that “won’t” which is a contraction of “will not” negates itself? Better get back to school BJ, and learn some basic grammar. The billboard means “Mate, I will not piss in your wetsuit.” The addition of Yeah right means that in fact he will piss in the wetsuit. Let me know if you need anything else explained.

BJ

Grammer’s got nought to do with what I’m saying – it is how the brain processes the word ‘won’t’ as ‘will’ then ‘not’. Thats why negative instructions never work with youngsters particularly – because of the processing of the words in a sentence need to be a positive instruction not a negative.

BJ

When I next write anything here perhaps I will interpret it especially for you my precious.

Bunswalla

I think you’re going to have to BJ, I haven’t got a clue what you’re talking about. But don’t let it stop you, you’ve clearly got a full head of steam going there.

BJ

Perhaps I could demonstrate with some basic maths. Starting from zero – ‘I will’ (plus one) ‘not’ (minus one) = zero (back where you started because the +1and -1 has cancelled each other out – and thats what contractions do if there is an action involved – so really Yeah Right – is the pisser acknowledging out loud to the pissee what his real intention is. And yes I can take the piss too.

unsol

Errm no, “won’t” = will not

But “thats”? Hmmmm

BJ

That’s = that is – no opposites there – just a genuine non confusing contraction. But – can’t ,won’t don’t etc (get my drift) are contractures of one positive word followed by a negative (cancelling) word and they really have no place (notice I refrained from using a +/- like ‘shouldn’t) in our language.

Piss = urinate BUT the clever dicks ( funny men OR male appendage that does great tricks) might just as easily mean ‘turps’ or maybe they really mean “Mate, I won’t drink in your wetsuit” Yeah Right!

unsol

You wrote “thats” not “that’s”!!!!

Travis Poulson

It boggles the mind how a simple statement has turned into an argument about grammar. I don’t think it’s (oh no, I said it’s!!) been Tui’s goal to speak in a manner that would satisfy a 1960’s newsreader, the idea is to speak in an everyday language that the every day ‘kiwi bloke’ relates to. But I’m sure you already know that and are just humouring BJ for the sake of it.

unsol

Got it in one TP :p

And there is validity in generational dialect (swearing) vs poor grammar..

BJ

So if you’re talking to me – Yes I am just humoring Bunswalla that started all this – but you will need a comma after BJ

Travis Poulson

No I wasn’t talking to you, hence the arrow between my name and unsol. Here’s, some, more, comma’s, for, ya, chap,

BJ

I know.
I’m going to put my poor efforts at being understood down to having a very bad day and humbly walk away

Travis Poulson

We all have them.

BJ

Revisiting this I see I did indeed make a grammatical error.

Bunswalla

All good fun and thankyou Trav for the defence of my right to slap down trolls.

A+random+reader

I’m not a prude, but I have some sympathy for her complaint.

You can change the channel or turn off the box if you don’t like a TV show or radio station, but a billboard is public and cannot be turned off. Advertisers should be held to a higher standard for billboards than other media.

Lion_ess

They’re just alphabet letters for christ’s sake.
Barbara McKelvie takes offense at her own imagination when the four alphabet letters P – I – S – S are arranged together. Next she’ll want a ban on the manufacture of alphabet soup or scrabble, just in case the letters arrange themselves in an order she takes offense at.
Good on you Barbara – get yourself something useful to do – here see how many words you can make with these – SIPS.

dotcom

Good. I should never get criticised for a comment on WOBH again. I’ll use the “they’re-only-alphabet-letters-for-christ’s-sake” excuse from now on. See how long that lasts, honey.

Lion_ess

Have a read up on “context” and I think you’ll find this better determines whether something is appropriate given the context in which it is used.
Piss (beer), Piss-take (to have someone on), Piss – off (go away), piss-up (having drinks), pissed-off (irritated), taking a piss (urinate) – so what?

dotcom

Exactly – so what? Have a nice day, Lioness

Bunswalla

You’ll continue to be criticised if you keep talking shite. And lay off the attacks on religion (for christ’s sake) and the sexist labels, luvvy. I’m highly offended by your choice of words :-P

Transfer of onus. Bunswalla has been trolling my comments all day, and I have to justify why he shouldn’t have been doing this. Madness. Just as well our courts don’t work this way. We would have no justice.

Switching off my computer now. So don’t go on with it, or you will be doing exactly what you accuse me of. How many times do I have to say on this site, that I wish not to the the topic of the comments.
Deal with it elsewhere. I am not the problem. I can’t stop people trolling my comments. Off.

Travis Poulson

Good, standard of the threads has lifted already.

dotcom

Apparently it’s fine for people to repeatedly accuse me of posting comments today, with my hand on my dick, but I can’t suggest that this might be shit – stirring.
If you want me to leave, just ask. But this is bullshit. If you want me to go, it will be because YOU Travis can’t handle honest debate, not because of anything I’ve said today. Your house. Your rules. Just what are the rules? Make them up after they are applied do we?

Travis Poulson

In all honesty, you don’t know the difference between trolling/attacking other commenters and honest debate, let’s no confuse the 2. Bunswalla is a long time commenter who only goes out of his way to slap down comments that are idiotic. From what I’ve seen the last few days you’re here to do nothing more than thrive off conflict and trolling that detracts from the main post.

Ronnie Chow

PLEASE LEAVE!!!

dotcom

My inclination is to ask YOU to leave, but the hosts of WOBH are watching me like a hawk. Other commenters can insult me to their heart’s content, but if I so much as raise a murmur in response, the hosts come down on me like a tonne of bricks. So I won’t respond to your rudeness in kind. For your part, feel free to insult me as much as you want. It is the rules here.

Ronnie Chow

Careful , Travis , obsession is contagious…but go for it . Now Dotcom is trying to eliminate ‘mind-germs’

After yesterday, is this the blog equivalent of “Suicide by Cop” is it?

I’m personally disappointed in you. I stuck my head out to make sure you would have a chance to turn things around. I have no idea why your panties are in a bunch, but this stops. One way or another.

dotcom

I posted this

Yes, a Tui ad referencing piss, is about as funny as laughing at farts. And about as clever. It’s crass. It’s puerile. It’s the public acceptance of collective New Zealand immaturity that disappoints me. Do no New Zealanders mature beyond the level of 14-year-olds these days? The billboard is a reflection of the nation: rank, puerile, unnecessary, and embarrassing. Ah well, we are in New Zealand, after all, a country in which your right to feel offended is of far lesser value than the right to gratuitously offend.
How is this compatible with the grandiloquence of this blog which champions respect for the underdog’s points of view?9 upvotes 1 downvotes

What about the above comment deserved this response, and the 25 trolling posts from the same member all day?

Get your hand off it dotcom. So you’re offended. So fucking what? Nothing happens, and nobody cares. Please accept my blessing to be as offended as fuck.

I’ve been trolled all day. And you go after the trollee, and the troller is fine. FFS. If you want me to stop commenting on your gay threads, then tell me to get lost. But just don’t go scapegoating me for your intolerance of genuine opposing views of the host here.

dotcom

And to the above references, which others expressed concern about as well, to my having my “hand on it” I made light of it by saying I required all 10 digits for typing. This scapegoating is madmess.

Rodger T

All this drama could have been avoided if they had used the word pee instead of piss and Barbara,Lesley and Dotcom would not have to clutch their pearls whilst having an attack of the vapours.

LesleyNZ

Pearls are so beautiful………..

Rodger T

Something we can agree on Leslie : )

unsol

Knew you’d be a pearls lady! :)

And for record I completely understand your aversion to the potty mouth – it is very much a generational issue. But my reasoning behind defending the use of expletives is that they are just words; they are not indicative of character as speaking nicely is not synonymous with treating others well.

In terms of background – my husband & I have has this come up with his parents. They objected to us using the word crap yet uttered nothing when their daughter’s partner continued to cheat on her. Their defense – he had always been polite & never offended them!!!!

So you see when it comes to values & how others are treated I have very high standards hence why I object very strongly to women like the lady at the centre of this post & why I speak so strongly on issues pertaining to same sex attraction (so you know I mean everyone in the LGBT community).

unsol

Love it RT & that Billy clip is priceless!

BJ

You are so right – pee is just not offensive

LesleyNZ

This is NOT right. Titewhai Harawira is wearing beautiful pearls. Her children are very foul-mouthed.

disqus_OKRtwis75M

“Barbara McKelvie is no prude”

“Yeah, right”

GregM

I have been watching this thread all day, and will now offer a comment.
If I were to say ” suck my balls”, that would be offensive. The Tui billboard is not.
The grammar police can fuck off too, we don’t all have a degree in the English language.
The mad old harridan that complained about her complaint should not have been given the media space, I’m sure the country has bigger issues to deal with than this bullshit.
Lighten up New Zealand.